Phil Shafer speaks about graphic design and his clothing company on Nov. 16 at the UMKC Fine Arts Building

Kansas City, Mo. - Phil Shafer will present "The Hustle of Sikenomics" at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Fine Arts Building, Room 106, 5015 Holmes St., Kansas City, Mo. Sikenomics is a Kansas City, Mo.-based clothing brand that Shafer created in 2006. Part of the Department of Art and Art History's Visiting Artists & Scholars lecture series, this lecture is free and open to the public.

Originally from Brooklyn, Shafer majored in Photography and New Media at the Kansas City Art Institute and became known throughout Kansas City by his stickers and wheat pasted posters that plastered street signs and utility poles. The bold designs and typography carried various messages and bore the machine mask that became the Sikenomics trademark. After graduation, Shafer landed a job as a graphic designer and created merchandise for Kansas City hip-hop artists. Shafer's success in selling T-shirts and buttons for other people led him to create Sikenomics, which is available in stores and online.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience. For more information about UMKC, visit www.umkc.edu. You can also find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch us on YouTube.

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